In the Forest of the Night

251 – "In the Forest of the Night"
Doctor Who episode
All of London is covered with trees that have grown overnight.
Cast
Doctor Peter Capaldi (Twelfth Doctor)
Companion Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald)
Others Samuel Anderson – Danny Pink Abigail Eames – Maebh Jayden Harris-Wallace – Samson Ashley Foster – Bradley Harley Bird – Ruby Michelle Gomez – Missy Siwan Morris – Maebh's mum Harry Dickman – George Jenny Hill – Herself Eloise Barnes – Annabel James Weber Brown – Minister Michelle Asante – Neighbour Curtis Flowers – Emergency services officer Kate Tydman – Paris reporter Nana Amoo-Gottfried – Accra reporter William Wright-Neblett – Little boy
Production
Directed by	Sheree Folkson
Written by	Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Script editor	David P Davis
Produced by	Paul Frift
Executive producer(s)	Steven Moffat Brian Minchin
Incidental music composer	Murray Gold
Series	Series 8
Length	45 minutes
Originally broadcast	25 October 2014 (2014-10-25)
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → "Flatline" "Dark Water"

"In the Forest of the Night" is the tenth episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and directed by Sheree Folkson. The episode stars Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, and Samuel Anderson.

Clara Oswald and Danny Pink chaperone several Coal Hill students on an overnight stay at the London Zoological Museum, and wake up to find all of London and the rest of the world have been covered by large forests. One of their students, Maebh, wanders off, but is found by the Doctor, who has landed his TARDIS in Trafalgar Square. Clara, Danny, and the other students regroup with him to recover Maebh and to try to understand what is going on, but the Doctor is unsure. Danny finds a pile of student notebooks aboard the TARDIS that Clara had accidentally left behind, and he realises she lied to him about forgoing future travels with the Doctor. Among the notebooks is Maebh's, each page having a picture of an angry sun striking down trees. Clara explains that after the disappearance of her sister Annabel, Maebh has exhibited strange tics and heard voices in her head, and has been on medication to calm these effects.

When Maebh wanders off again, the Doctor and Clara set off to find her, shortly followed by Danny and the other students. The Doctor explains that he believes a giant solar flare, similar to the one that destroyed the Bank of Karabraxos ("Time Heist"), is due to strike Earth that day, and that Maebh is central to the appearance of the trees. They find Maebh safe, but are soon surrounded by loose animals from the London Zoo, freed when their cages were torn asunder by the trees. Danny warns off the animals and rescues the three. As Maebh's last medication wears off, the Doctor examines her movements and thinks she might be communicating with something. He temporarily creates a gravity field around Maebh, revealing a number of glowing bug-like creatures. They speak through Maebh, explaining they have been on Earth since the dawn of time, and were called to Maebh after the disappearance of her sister. They claim responsibility for growing the forest, as they had done before in the north and in the south. The Doctor dispels the field when he finds the creatures are in pain due to it.